Coated articles are known in the art for use in window applications such as insulating glass (IG) window units, vehicle windows, and/or the like. It is known that in certain instances, it is desirable to heat treat (e.g., thermally temper, heat bend and/or heat strengthen) such coated articles for purposes of tempering, bending, or the like in certain example instances.
In certain situations, designers of coated articles often strive for a combination of desirable visible transmission, substantially neutral color, low emissivity (or emittance), and low sheet resistance (Rs). High visible transmission for example may permit coated articles to be more desirable in certain window applications, whereas low-emissivity (low-E) and low sheet resistance characteristics permit such coated articles to block significant amounts of IR radiation so as to reduce for example undesirable heating of vehicle or building interiors. However, heat treatment of coated articles typically requires use of temperature(s) of at least 580 degrees C., more preferably of at least about 600 degrees C. and still more preferably of at least 620 degrees C. The use of such high temperatures (e.g., for 5-10 minutes or more) often causes coatings to break down, have undesirable off-axis color values, and/or causes one or more of the aforesaid desirable characteristics to significantly deteriorate in an undesirable manner.
U.S. Patent Document 2005/0202254, commonly owned and hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses a coated article having the following layers on a glass substrate, from the glass substrate outwardly.
Layer Glass SubstrateTiO2Si3N4ZnOAgNiCrOxSnO2Si3N4SnO2ZnOAgNiCrOxSnO2Si3N4
While the aforesaid coated article is heat treatable, and has many desirable and good characteristics, it does have problems with reddish off-axis coloration at high off-axis viewing angles. E.g., see the Comparative Example discussed below.
U.S. Patent Document 2005/0196622 discloses a coated article including a layer stack of silicon nitride, NiCr, silicon nitride, etc. in a bottom portion of the coating. However, 2005/0196622 does not recognize any particular thickness of the NiCr layer as being desirable, and also does not disclose or suggest that the NiCr layer has any bearing on off-axis coloration. Instead, 2005/0196622 teaches the opposite of this invention because 2005/0196622 states that variation in thickness of the NiCr layer does not significantly affect glass side reflective a* coloration.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there exists a need in the art for a coated article with more desirable (e.g., less red and/or more green) off axis coloration.